A Juneau Superior Court judge will stay on after her retention election. Meanwhile, Juneau District Court Judge Kirsten Swanson has retired, and two attorneys have been nominated to fill her position.
In unofficial results, 66% of Juneau voters cast yes votes to keep Superior Court Judge Marianna Carpeneti on the bench. That’s after the Alaska Judicial Council did not issue a recommendation for her retention. Carpeneti first became a Juneau Superior Court Judge in 2021. Her next retention election will be in 2032.
Judge Kirsten Swanson was appointed to the Juneau District Court by former Gov. Bill Walker in 2016. She retired on Sept. 30 and two attorneys applied to take on the role.
Kevin Higgins is currently an assistant attorney general for the Alaska Department of Law in Juneau. Margaret McWilliams is the deputy director for the Office of Public Advocacy in Juneau.
On Monday, the Alaska Judicial Council took public comment in Juneau on both candidates.
Mary Alice McKeen spoke about Higgins. McKeen has been a member of the Alaska Bar Association for over 40 years, and says Higgins has been in a variety of roles that have prepared him to serve as a judge.
“His experience is very apt,” McKeen said. “He has been a public defender and practiced in this very court that he is seeking to be a judge in. He also has been in private practice and has been an assistant AG, so he has very varied experience.”
Yvette Soutiere, a lawyer based in Juneau, talked about McWilliams. She said McWilliams mentored her, even though they haven’t always been on the same side of a case. Soutier supports McWilliams and Higgins becoming judges
“I find that both of them are incredibly, incredibly skilled, educated, honest, and both would have temperaments that would befit the judiciary,” Soutier said. “They bring different things to the bench, and so I think that they should both be sent up.”
The Alaska Judicial Council must nominate at least two candidates for each judicial vacancy. After public comment Monday, the body voted on both applicants.
Higgins received four yeses and two nos, and McWilliams received five yeses and one no. The council nominated both for the Juneau District Court judge position.
Now, it’s up to Gov. Mike Dunleavy to appoint one of them for the role. He has 45 days to do so.
